In response to the current rash of drug overdoses, law enforcement agents have issued a countywide sweep of drug houses and dealers, rounding up eight individuals from Lorain and Elyria on drug charges in the matter of two days.

The Lorain Narcotics and Special Investigations unit made three heroin arrests between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Det. Chris Colon.

Colon said Bryan Atkinson, 23, was arrested Tuesday afternoon in the 3500 block of Clifton Avenue for trafficking in cocaine and heroin, possession of cocaine and heroin and possession of criminal tools and drug paraphernalia and illegal conveyance into a detention facility.

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Police also arrested Ricki Perkins, 22, and Antwan Gilbert, 20, Wednesday afternoon for the same charges, although Gilbert had an additional charge of permitting drug abuse in a motor vehicle. The two men were arrested together near East 34th Street and Elyria Avenue.

“With the overdoses that took place over the weekend, we’ve been working pretty hard and steadily trying to make arrests with anyone dealing heroin and cocaine,” Colon said.

Colon said there was an active investigation into Atkinson for dealing drugs and when they spotted him Tuesday an arrest was made. There were separate investigations into Perkins and Gilbert for selling heroin.

Gilbert and Perkins had drugs concealed in their bodies that were revealed during a strip search, Colon said.

Colon said it does not appear that the heroin taken off of these men was connected to the overdose deaths that occurred over the weekend.

“Based on the look of the heroin taken off Atkinson it doesn’t appear to be the same,” he said. “However the drugs are being sent to a lab to get a final result to have that confirmed.”

All men are being held in the Lorain City Jail and they will be arraigned Nov.14.

In Elyria, A trio of early morning raids led to the arrest of five suspects Wednesday.

Detectives made contact with Todd Barbee, 22, at his Foster Avenue home during the raid, and later located Barbee’s sister Hannah Barbee, 20, and her boyfriend Richard Burroughs, 38, at the Best Western Motel, 636 Griswold Road. Hannah Barbee’s 4-year-old daughter also was found in the hotel room and was released to the custody of her grandmother.

Costantino said upon locating Burroughs, detectives found in his possession a “substantial assortment of narcotics.”

While Narcotics Officers were executing the warrant on Foster Avenue, the Special Response Team was executing another at a home on Jefferson Street, where Donald Cannon, 41, was arrested.

After the arrest of Cannon, the City of Elyria Building Department condemned the home because of unsanitary conditions, Costantino said.

Costantino said once the homes on Foster Avenue and Jefferson Street were secured, a third narcotics search warrant was executed at 217 Wolf Court, where detectives arrested Michael Wayne Taylor, 30.

During the raids, Costantino said “numerous weapons” were located in two of the homes, and a variety of narcotics — including fentanyl, heroin, methadone, MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy), cocaine, suboxone (a semi-synthetic opioid used to treat opioid addiction) and marijuana — were found.

Juveniles were located in each executed raid, according to Costantino, and Lorain County Children’s Services were notified of the arrests.

The five suspects were transported to the Lorain County jail and booked.